"You think love will save you?" The voice was a snarl, deep and ancient, echoing through the cavernous battlefield. "Love is a weakness, girl. It will break you before this trial does."
I gritted my teeth, my pulse a steady, measured drum in my ears. Across from me stood the Enchanted Warriors—not men, not wolves, but something trapped between life and death. Their bodies shimmered with eerie blue light, their eyes devoid of anything human. Their weapons, sleek blades carved from obsidian, pulsed like living things, exuding an energy that crawled over my skin like a warning.
The first trial had nearly killed me. My lungs still burned from the River of Shadows, and my body ached from the bruises left behind by the Phantom Hunt. But there was no time for recovery. No moment of respite. The
